Posts From November, 2012

Jim Rebholz, chairman of the National ESGR Committee, presents retired Maj. Gen. Jerry D. Icenhower with the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service for his service as the chairman of the Texas ESGR Committee (2006-2012) following an ESGR/Wal-Mart Statement of Support Signing event in San Antonio, Nov. 12, 2012. ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) is a Department of Defense agency that was formed in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component service members and civilian employers. (National Guard Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Phil Fountain / Released)

Story by Staff Sgt. Phil Fountain

CAMP MABRY, Texas – Retired Maj. Gen. Eddy M. Spurgin, the former commanding general of the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division, headquartered here, became the new chairman of the Texas ESGR Committee in Austin, last month.

After graduating from Texas A&M University, Spurgin spent more than 30 years as a citizen-soldier in the Texas Army National Guard, including service in Iraq. He is currently the District Conservationist for the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Spurgin replaced retired Maj. Gen. Jerry D. Icenhower, who served as Texas ESGR chairman from 2006-2012, and said he will take over where Icenhower left off.

“I want to continue to foster good communication and interface with national headquarters,” said Spurgin, and will help “move the ball forward with the ESGR mission here in Texas.”

Having been a career guardsman, Spurgin said he understands the unique challenges that arise from service in the military’s reserve components. “I want to be a strong advocate for our employers and our service members,” he said.

The Texas ESGR Committee is the state-level affiliate of the national Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, said John Steele, the program support technician for Texas ESGR. The organization was created in 1972 to increase cooperation and understanding between guardsmen and reservists and their civilian employers, and to help resolve conflicts that arise between the private company’s operations and the employee’s military service.

“ESGR is not a law enforcement agency, but serves as a neutral resource for employers and service members,” said Steele. “The Ombudsman Services Program provides trained mediators to help resolve employment disputes.”

As an organization, ESGR provides outreach to employers and service members, Steele said, including training and materials (at no direct cost) on their rights and responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, or USERRA, which is a federal law that provides employment protections for individuals who choose, voluntarily or involuntarily, to service in the uniformed services.

Additionally, ESGR works with companies to help integrate unemployed National Guard and Reserve service members into the workforce, Steele said, including the “Hero 2 Hired” program (www.h2h.jobs), and will recognize outstanding employers through several annual awards issued by the Department of Defense.

The Texas ESGR Committee has about 230 volunteers and full-time staff members throughout the state to build bridges in the community, Spurgin said.

“ESGR is out there, side-by-side with these partners,” Spurgin said. “I’ll provide whatever leadership I can to continue the success of the program here in Texas.”

On Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, friends and family members of the Soldiers from the 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade say goodbye, with hugs and kisses, at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas as the approximate 200 soldiers prepare to leave on a deployment to Afghanistan. While away from their loved ones, family members of the deployed soldiers will have opportunities to participate in yellow ribbon events and receive any necessary support from Family Support Services. (National Guard photo by Laura L. Lopez/Released).

Story by Laura Lopez

CAMP MABRY, Texas - November 1st marks the start of a month-long proclamation declaring November as Military Family Month. With more than 31,000 men and women in the Texas Military Forces (TXMF) answering the call to serve the nation in support of the Global War on Terror, members with Family Support Services (FSS) remain diligent in providing top-notch care and support services to service members and their families.

“Without strong families who stand by their service member, a successful National Guard cannot exist,” said Lt. Col. Alba Villanueva, Family Support Services Branch Manager. “With the ever-changing face and duties of the National Guard, it’s important to help National Guard families achieve readiness for what’s ahead while remaining flexible in the present.”

An umbrella organization consisting of youth and family programs, Strong Bonds workshops, Transition Assistance Advisors, Resilience and Mental Health programs, as well as family readiness, the Texas Military Forces Family Support Services reports assisting more than 185,000 customers in fiscal year 2012.

“Throughout fiscal year 2012 our Yellow Ribbon program, which aims to help Reserve and National Guard members reintegrate with their families, communities and civilian employers following a deployment, reached nearly 6,300 people over the course of 40 events,” said Villanueva.

A congressionally mandated program, established in 2008, the Yellow Ribbon Program focuses on preparing service member and their families for mobilization, sustaining families during deployment and reintegrating service members and their families following one’s return from a deployment. Phases commencing a minimum of 60 days before the Soldier leaves and continuing throughout and for a minimum of 60 days post deployment, Yellow Ribbon topics include legal readiness, family stressors, communication, suicide prevention, substance abuse and job fairs.

“We want to stress that whether it be a first deployment or sixth for our service members, new information and resources are identified every year,” said Villanueva stressing those Soldiers with multiple deployments have an added value to the families and other Soldiers by sharing their knowledge and lessons learned.

In addition, the Family Support Services resilience team members strive to assist units, Soldiers, and Families by providing programs, services and resources that address critical psychological and emotional needs. Through Peer-to-Peer (P2P) training and other advanced courses, soldiers learn how to recognize signs of distress in their fellow Battle Buddies and Wingmen and how to get help when needed. Essentially enabling qualified service members to be peer interventionists at the unit level to identify, intervene and initiate referral management the ultimate goal is to ensure both their personal and extended military family is there for support.

“This program is focused on preventing our soldiers and families from getting so stressed that they consider taking drastic measures to deal with their stress and is one that is driven year round,” said Capt. Carina Robinson, Texas Military Forces Family Support Services Resilience Coordinator. “After all, we are Texans defending Texas.”

Other fiscal year 2012 highlights include the Job Connection Education Program’s 1000th hire, several youth program camps, multiple family outreach events and a Suicide Prevention 5K run.

For more information, about Family Support Services or a list of upcoming events visit http://www.txfss.us or call 1-800-252-8032.

Staff Sgt. Patrick D. Rogers, Jr., a flight medic and member of the Texas Army National Guard, visits with a news reporter after being presented the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with "V" Device for Valor and the Combat Medical Badge from Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Nov. 1, 2012. Rogers received the awards for actions that took place during his service in Afghanistan. (National Guard Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Phil Fountain / Released)

Story by Staff Sgt. Phil Fountain

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Rick Perry presented a Texas National Guardsman with the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with “V” Device for acts of heroism and the Combat Medical Badge during a ceremony at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Nov. 1, 2012. Perry, commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard, honored the service member's sacrifice, as well as the numerous Texans and Americans who have served during the past decade.

“The young men and women of this generation have been asked to perform on battlefields in Iraq, and Afghanistan, standing up against the forces of terror at home and abroad,” Perry said. “Without their willingness to give their all, if required, America would be nothing but a sad footnote in history, a place that held great promise, once upon a time.”

Staff Sgt. Patrick D. Rogers, Jr., of Galveston, Texas, a flight medic assigned to the Texas Army National Guard’s Austin- based 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, received the citations from Perry, on behalf of the U.S. Army, for his actions this past June and July while he was assigned to the U.S. Army’s Task Force Wolfpack, a subcomponent of the 4th Platoon at Forward Operating Base Salerno in the province of Khowst, in southeastern Afghanistan, which is near the country’s border with Pakistan.

“Today, we are honoring a particularly brave individual,” Perry said. “Staff Sgt. Patrick Rogers not only served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, he also served as medic, which means he didn’t really get involved until things had gone really bad.”

After sustaining injuries during an attack that damaged FOB Salerno’s dining facility in June, Rogers is credited with rescuing several soldiers and a local national from the building and then setting up a triage station to evaluate and initiate treatment for additional injured personnel.

“It wasn’t until he was ordered to stop tending to the wounded that he finally relented and allowed other medics to take care of his own injuries,” said Perry.

Then, in July, Rogers was involved in an aerial rescue operation near FOB Salerno while being exposed to gunfire from enemy combatants, according to Capt. Joshua C. Aronson, the aeromedical evacuation officer for Task Force Wolfpack, who wrote the recommendation for Rogers to receive the Air Medal with “V” Device. Rogers was lowered by a hoist and a steel cable from inside a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and helped with the extraction of two soldiers from a narrow ledge on a mountainside.

For his actions under fire, Rogers was also presented the Combat Medical Badge, which is conferred upon military medical personnel that face combat conditions. The badge was first awarded to American combat medics during World War II.

Perry said he was humbled and privileged to present Rogers with the awards.

The feeling between the Governor and the Citizen-Soldier appeared to be mutual.

“It was definitely an honor,” Rogers said of receiving his awards from the state's chief executive, “this is something I will never forget.”

Rogers said he has to undergo further physical therapy and treatments for his combat injuries, but that he will soon head back to Galveston to continue life, go back to work and raise his children.